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IMDbPro

Nailbiter

  • 2013
  • R
  • 1h 22m
IMDb RATING
4.2/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
Nailbiter (2013)
 The Maguire family is forced to take sudden refuge in a seemingly abandoned storm cellar from a deadly tornado.
Play trailer1:33
2 Videos
7 Photos
Horror

The Maguire family is forced to take sudden refuge from a deadly tornado in a seemingly-abandoned storm cellar.The Maguire family is forced to take sudden refuge from a deadly tornado in a seemingly-abandoned storm cellar.The Maguire family is forced to take sudden refuge from a deadly tornado in a seemingly-abandoned storm cellar.

  • Director
    • Patrick Rea
  • Writers
    • Patrick Rea
    • Kendal Sinn
  • Stars
    • Erin McGrane
    • Meg Saricks
    • Emily Boresow
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.2/10
    2.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Patrick Rea
    • Writers
      • Patrick Rea
      • Kendal Sinn
    • Stars
      • Erin McGrane
      • Meg Saricks
      • Emily Boresow
    • 48User reviews
    • 17Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins total

    Videos2

    Nailbiter
    Trailer 1:33
    Nailbiter
    Nailbiter
    Trailer 1:34
    Nailbiter
    Nailbiter
    Trailer 1:34
    Nailbiter

    Photos6

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    + 3
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    Top cast28

    Edit
    Erin McGrane
    Erin McGrane
    • Janet Maguire
    Meg Saricks
    Meg Saricks
    • Jennifer Maguire
    Emily Boresow
    • Alice Maguire
    Sally Spurgeon
    • Sally Maguire
    Joicie Appell
    • Mrs. Shurman
    Mark Ridgway
    • Sheriff
    Aaron Laue
    Aaron Laue
    • Lt. Maguire
    Ben Jeffrey
    • Deputy Carr
    Michelle Davidson
    Michelle Davidson
    • Dina
    Allen Lowman
    • Tom
    Ian Dempsey
    • Sean
    Matt Sayers
    • Weatherman
    Tom Conroy
    • Bartender
    Jason Coffman
    • AA Meeting
    Lynn Dhone
    • AA Meeting
    Matt Hrovat
    • AA Meeting
    Robert Hubbard
    • AA Meeting
    Jerry Koukol
    • AA Meeting
    • Director
      • Patrick Rea
    • Writers
      • Patrick Rea
      • Kendal Sinn
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews48

    4.22.2K
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    Featured reviews

    6paul_m_haakonsen

    A storm is coming...

    "Nailbiter", despite its somewhat cheesy title, was actually quite good. The movie is listed as horror, but just don't expect to be scared out of your seat. "Nailbiter" is more of a thriller, the kind that creeps under your skin and leaves you wondering.

    The story is about a mom and her three daughters driving towards Kansas city where they are to be reunited with their returning husband and father coming back from military service overseas. But a massive tornado is ravaging the state, and the women get waylaid on their way, having to seek shelter in the cellar of an apparently empty house. As the storm rages, the women find that they are by all means not alone, trapped in the cellar with something beastly stalking outside.

    I enjoyed the story, even though it was far from scary. But the story managed to lure me in and keep me wanting to see what happened next. The director, Patrick Rea, was really good at building up suspense and letting the movie progress in a way that let us slowly in on the events, piece by piece. It worked out so well, and I found myself to be thoroughly entertained throughout the entire movie.

    Acting-wise, then "Nailbiter" was good as well, there was a relatively small cast to the movie, but they all did really good jobs with their roles, especially Ben Jeffrey (playing officer Carr) he was really great.

    "Nailbiter" had a really great atmosphere to it, and the sense of dread and claustrophobia in the cellar with something unknown lurking outside was just such a nice touch. They managed to pull that off quite nicely.

    If you enjoy scary movies, horror movies, thrillers, etc. then you definitely should give "Nailbiter" a chance, it might just grow on you. Despite being overly scary, "Nailbiter" does manage to impress and get under your skin. It is a movie that leaves you wondering what was just exactly happening there in Wellsville.
    jonathancupp66

    Low-budget monster thriller has enough surprises to keep afloat.

    Nailbiter was better than I expected. These days a lot of low-budget horror movies have been disappointing. So, it was nice that this came along and did something a little different.

    The plot involves a mother and her three daughters living in Kansas awaiting the return of of the father. They are going to meet the him at the airport when they get sidetracked by a tornado. They find the nearest house and, unable to get inside, hide in the cellar. This turns out to be a huge mistake as the family upstairs is connected to a group of carnivorous monsters that tend to get riled up during storms.

    One thing that was special about this was the plot didn't advance in quite the way I expected it to. I thought for sure they weren't going to harm these girls, but I was very wrong. There isn't a lot of on- screen violence but what's there is enough to create tension.

    The acting was pretty strong, if a little spotty, good for a low-budget horror anyway. A few of the performances do stand out, especially the Sheriff and the oldest daughter. The music was robust and does a good job of setting a tone and providing cues. The monster make-up is good but underused. I don't think you ever really get a good look at a whole one. Although there are a couple nice scenes where you get close ups of their faces.

    Lastly, The film sets itself up for a sequel and given the context I would very much like to see it. This has a solid premise and a bigger budget and some more action would suit it nicely I think.
    PaceOfChange

    How could another reviewer find anything positive in this train-wreck?

    Wow. There's bad acting........and then there's this...

    I read another review where they said "really well acted" It's not possible that we're watching the same movie.

    In all honesty, this is, hands down, the worst attempt at film making I have ever had the extreme displeasure of suffering through. At the 38-minute mark I turned off my TV......I've never done that before.....that should tell you just how horrendous this movie is.

    On the bright side? Well, I now have a benchmark from which all really, really bad movies can be compared.

    I am wondering if this was the Director's first attempt? And the cast, writers and producers' first venture into cinema? If so, they get a mulligan.........if not, then they need to make it their last venture into cinema.
    3Leofwine_draca

    This should have been so much better

    I was expecting a lot from NAILBITER after the first five minutes. After all, in those five minutes I found out it was a well-shot and initially engaging film, one that took the time to develop character and situation unlike so many these days. I was hoping for something better than the usual run-of-the-mill horror guff.

    Unfortunately after just a handful of minutes NAILBITER gets significantly worse when the main characters find themselves holed up in a cellar to escape from an approaching tornado. After this point, they're trapped in the cellar FOR THE ENTIRE RUNNING TIME. In the dark. There's a mutant monster on the loose, yes, but he's barely glimpsed and seems incidental to the main storyline, which is just about those women sitting around in the cellar and complaining. Of course, there's time for a ridiculously over the top ending along the way.

    The film is very underwhelming for the genre. None of the cast are familiar and none of them give very good performances; none of the protagonists are likable either. Bloodshed is kept to a minimum, and the horror itself is limited to those dumb jump scares that work for very few people these days. In other words, there's virtually no reason to watch this.
    5jbr98682002

    not quite good enough to recommend

    This film wasn't bad, but wasn't that good, either. Just average. On a story level, it was pretty good. It slowly drew me in, built suspense, and led up to an interesting idea. The problems were on a more technical level. The female leads often muttered their lines, making me have to turn up the volume and strain my ears to understand their dialog. Two of the villainous characters were played stiffly, with almost no personality. The film was limited in what it showed in gore, action and special effects, probably because of a limited budget. I wanted to like this film (I did enjoy parts of it), but for me its flaws marginally outweighed its strengths.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Goofs
      The tornado is shown rotating clockwise. Due to the Coreolis Effect, tornadoes rotate counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Terror Film Festival Promotional Video 2012 (2012)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 28, 2013 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Грызущий ногти
    • Filming locations
      • Clinton Store - 598 N 1190 Rd, Lawrence, Kansas, USA(General store)
    • Production companies
      • Ministry Machine Productions
      • SenoReality Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 22 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39:1

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